What has more screaming than a Weezer concert but the same girl/boy ratio? Believe it or not, the Levee did last Saturday, but the screaming most definitely didn’t come from the audience. It was the lead vocalists who screamed through songs in the first concert to rock the Levee this semester.
For those who have been to the other concerts at the Levee this year, this concert, which was held by the Recording Club, made the others pale in comparison. With newcomers AKA Preston and old favorites like Grover Dill, Madison Prep, and This Blue Holiday (is it me, or do they look like Collapse Computer?), this phenomenal concert was a great way to start the season. While it may be late in the semester, it was well worth the wait.
First act AKA Preston, a distinct blend of Green Day and Good Charlotte, revved up the audience with lighthearted comments, anecdotes, jumping around, and most importantly, good music. Lead vocalist Sean Millnes’ enthusiasm for performing and for music eventually leaked into the crowd, despite the fact that he was ill the entire day. Within minutes everyone clapped along with the catchy music.
After Millnes related his day of throwing up at work “with some Dr. Pepper for color,” he sang a heartfelt “Apology”. And no apologies were needed, because if any mistakes were made, they went unnoticed by the audience. The fun mood as set by Millnes and his band’s antics continued for most of the night.
“It was a cool experience,” said Millnes, who substituted playing in Norwich, CT that night for the Levee. “It was nice for not too many people. The crowd responded well; they clapped with us and said stuff. Most of the time the crowds are dead.”
Grover Dill, the self-proclaimed “fun lovin’ pop punk rock band,” tried to keep the fun atmosphere going by quickly enticing the crowd to clap with them. During the first song, however, someone broke a guitar string and Sean Millnes came to the rescue by lending Grover Dill a guitar.
It was fitting, as concert goers already showed their generosity by bringing a canned food item as this concert’s benefit food drive. Millnes’ act of kindness not only continued the spirit of good will, but evoked a cheer from the crowd.
Grover Dill’s performance, which sounded like a strange mix of Adema and Default, included fresh songs which they decided to try with the audience. Towards the end, they played “Remember When,” a nostalgic song about. For all those in attendance, they’ll certainly “remember when” they went to this concert.
The concert, which grew louder as the night grew longer, peaked with Madison Prep- quite possibly one of the loudest bands this side of the Housatonic River. Eric Gallion’s smooth vocals work well with the instrumentals, but once he unleashes his trademark yowl, listeners are left wondering if possibly the Smashing Pumpkins and Coldplay not only fused together, but stomped on a cat’s tail while performing.
Last, but definitely not least, was This Blue Holiday. An incarnation of what once was Collapse Computer, this band closed the concert quite nicely. Occupants packed the Levee for the last set as the songs slowed in speed and became more surreal.
Employing the use of keyboards and synthesizers, This Blue Holiday found a happy medium between sounding like U2 (especially in “Sleeping ‘ Waking”) and Coldplay (with “Lying with Liars”). Fred Daniele’s voice almost sounds like a slightly higher pitched version of that of Semisonic’s (think “Closing Time”) Dan Wilson; it’s smooth and he can use his versatility to match his voice with the mood of the music.
This band has a habit of writing songs as late as “this morning” that are ready to play for that night’s performance. For those who remember Collapse Computer’s performance at the Levee at the first concert of the year (Sept. 20), they wrote “Laughing for Hours” that very morning and it ended up being the hit of the night. For their mainly instrumental song they debuted on Saturday night, one is left to wonder if it will become a staple of their playlist like “Laughing for Hours” did.
While the band claimed to have messed up “6 or 7 times”, not only did it go unnoticed by the audience, but they had a good excuse. “We’ll blame it on the bar being closed!” The only drawback: switching and tuning many guitars before each new song tried the audience’s patience. Try tuning all the instruments before playing the first song, that way they are ready to go for the following songs.
Overall, best Levee concert of the year.
Leave a Reply